Electric trolling motors provide anglers with a quiet, smoke-free method of controlling their boat while fishing. They are typically used once an angler has reached a desired fishing location and the main engine is turned off. The size and configuration of the boat in addition to the conditions during which the angler will be fishing are the main factors in determining the thrust that will be needed to maintain proper control of the boat. The thrust provided by the trolling motor, and to a lesser extent the type of fishing preferred by the angler, will typically dictate how and where the trolling motor is mounted on the boat.
Many anglers, particularly those with smaller boats, often mount their trolling motor from the bow or transom of the boat. Transom mounting of the trolling motor is often used for anglers who use electric power exclusively and for traditional walleye anglers who like to backtroll. However, since the bow of a boat is pointed, a bow mount for a trolling motor provides a distinct advantage to control the boat in wind and waves. In either of these positions, however, the shaft length from the mount to the lower unit will limit, to some degree, the size of motor that can be used. In other words, for a bow mount trolling motor the length of the shaft for the mount to the lower unit will traverse the distance from the top of the bow to the water line plus, typically, 18 inches. With a large thrust motor, the amount of torque that is generated over this distance can be significant.
For larger boats that need higher thrust trolling motors, or for those fisherman who fish in adverse conditions and therefore require higher thrust, anglers often opt for an engine mounted trolling motor. Such engine mounted electric trolling motors typically utilize a formed or stamped metal bracket to permanently mount onto an I/O or outboard motor. One such product manufactured by the assignee of the instant application is illustrated in FIG. 25. The typical mounting location for such a bracket is directly on top of the main engine's cavitation plate. In such a location there is no drag or loss of performance while the boat is utilizing the main engine while the boat is on plane. That is, when a boat is accelerated with its main engine, the boat rises, lifting the engine mounted trolling motor out of the water. This eliminates any drag that otherwise would occur. Once the boat is stopped, it sinks back into the water, submerging the engine mounted trolling motor once again. While the trolling motor is being utilized, direction is controlled directly from the helm.
While such engine mounted trolling motors provide a distinct advantage for larger vessels and for anglers fishing in adverse conditions, e.g. high winds or waves, their application has been somewhat limited, primarily to fresh water applications. This is because many salt water vessels are much larger, requiring more thrust than is available from the current technology of trolling motors. Further, the permanent mounting brackets for these engine mounted trolling motors accommodate only a single size trolling motor. If a different size trolling motor is desired, the entire assembly, including the mounting bracket, must be removed and replaced. Therefore such trolling motors are not adaptable to changing conditions, loads, etc. that dictate the thrust requirements from such a trolling motor.
There exists, therefore, a need in the art for an engine mounted trolling motor bracket that can accommodate different sized trolling motors, different lower units, and that may allow for the inclusion of additional trolling motors or lower units when the thrust requirements of the vessel, or those dictated by the fishing conditions, so require.